Mar. 23, 2013
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by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

SAUCIER, Miss. (AP) - Corey Pavin birdied his first six holes and finished with a 5-under 67 to join Bernhard Langer, Roger Chapman and Joe Daley atop the leaderboard after the second round of the Champions Tour's Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic on Saturday.

Pavin took advantage of Fallen Oak's soft greens in ideal windless conditions. He has made six straight birdies in a tournament only one other time - at the U.S. PGA Tour's 2006 U.S. Bank Championship - and he finished that weekend with a victory.

"It's fun to do," Pavin said. "That's my longest string of birdies in a tournament ever. I got a little frisky on seven, trying to break my own record and I three-putted. But still, it was a good day and obviously a great start."

Langer had a 65, Chapman shot 67, and Daley had a 66.

Esteban Toledo, Tom Pernice Jr., and Gene Sauers were a stroke behind the leaders. Toledo and Pernice shot 65 to match Langer for lowest round of the day.

Langer has already won once this year, at the ACE Group Classic in February. He has finished in the top three at three of four tournaments this season.

"I hit my irons a little closer today which gave me a little better birdie opportunities," Langer said. "You have days when you feel good about your swing, but you never know if you're going to make putts."

Defending champion Fred Couples also had a good day, shooting a 66 to stay within striking distance at two strokes off the lead.

"I knew to have any kind of shot to do anything this weekend, I had to play well today," Couples said. "There's no saying you're going to shoot 60 on Sunday. So I worked my way up the leaderboard and I think I'm in great shape. There are several other guys playing well, too, but I can't stop them."

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